


Your Life Over Mine

by WhatMoreIsThereToSay



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Single Parents, Uncle Daichi, Volleyball Dorks & Nerds, drug mention, kindergarten teacher asahi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-25
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2018-10-10 13:10:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10438434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatMoreIsThereToSay/pseuds/WhatMoreIsThereToSay
Summary: Suga is a doting parent, Asahi is very much in love, Noya is playing cupid, and Daichi is shaking everything up while he tries to settle into his new life.





	1. Good Morning, Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

> Kid!Hinata singing Let It Go 5000 times a day and driving teacher!Asahi slowly crazy spurred this fic, enjoy <3

_Child, live and love_  
_I need you to_  
_Find the best part of_  
_Me in you._

 _-_ Bry, Child

~~~~~

Sugawara Koushi was thankful everyday for his son. The boy brought trouble and mess and sometimes total chaos into his life, but he also brought an endless amount of energy and love. He reminded Suga every day how amazing things can come from less than ideal situations, happiness despite the bleakest of circumstances. And it was as he was kissing his son’s mop of bright orange hair that he heard the news.

“Suga-san!” Suga turned to see Shouyou’s teacher hurrying over.

“Asahi-san, how are you? Shouyou hasn’t been misbehaving, has he?”

The five-year-old made an offended noise from his shoulder and Asahi laughed. “No, he’s been on his best behavior. I actually wanted to talk to you about Kageyama Tobio.”

“Oh, sure.” Suga set Shouyou on his feet, sending him off towards the school’s playground. “Is everything okay?”

“Ah, sort of. You haven’t heard from Tobio-chan’s grandparents yet, have you?” Suga shook his head, frowning. “Well, they’ve given guardianship of Tobio to his uncle. He, the uncle, asked me to let you know if I saw you. Apparently Tobio’s grandfather fell and injured himself, and between that and choosing to move into a care facility they hadn’t had time to speak to you about it.”

“Oh, that’s horrible. Will Tobio be able to stay in your class? Does the uncle live close enough?”

Asahi nodded. “Apparently the transition was pretty smooth, Sawamura-san said he took care of Tobio often. Everything seems okay, I don’t want you to worry. He just mentioned that Tobio’s grandparents wanted you to know.”

“Well thank you for telling me. Shouyou would be devastated if they couldn’t play together anymore.”

Asahi let out a laugh. “Trust me, I know. They got sat at different tables in art class and Shouyou cried until one of the other kids offered to switch with him.”

“Ahh, he’s quite attached. You’d think Tobio would mellow him out since he’s such a calm kid but…”

“It’s the opposite, isn’t it?” Suga nodded, laying a hand on Asahi’s shoulder.

“I’m gonna get him home and down for a nap, hopefully. Thanks for letting me know, and bring Noya-san for dinner again sometime. He seems like a sweet guy.”

“Like hell,” Asahi said quietly, grinning. “Last time, all you did was tell him embarrassing stories about college.”

“You had fun!” He shoved Asahi’s shoulder lightly.

“Go get your kid. I’m sure you’ll see him again, I plan on keeping him around.” Suga Aww’ed and Asahi rolled his eyes, heading back into the school.

“You ready, buddy?” Suga asked, intercepting the child as he made ‘woosh’ noises, speeding around the playground equipment.

Shouyou threw his arms around his father’s neck, giggling. “Mhmm.”

He knew from just the few times he'd spoken to Tobio's grandparents that the two loved their grandson more than anything and it broke his heart to think of them having to let him go. Sure, it was probably better for him to be living with someone younger, his uncle who might even have a family of his own, but Suga always admired how the Kageyama’s showered their grandson with love.

They always told him how well the boys played together, despite how rowdy they got. “Hinata is so good with him,” they’d say. “Other children are always asking why he lives with us, why he doesn’t have parents, but it didn’t even seem to phase your son.”

“He knows families come in all shapes and sizes better than most kids. His mother left soon after he was born so I’ve always taught him that all families are just different.” Daichi smiled to himself. “That, and his uncle has had him spouting the phrase ‘it doesn’t matter who you love, it matters how you love’ since the moment he learned to speak.”

Kageyama’s grandmother laughed. “A little activist in the making.”

The boys went zooming by, making a lap around the kitchen island only to zoom right back out. “Active, for sure.”

 

Calling his son over from the playground, Suga buckled him into the back seat of his car, his mind still on Tobio’s family. He was big for a five year old, and full of energy. There was no doubt in Suga’s mind that his grandparents would be able to take it much easier now that he was out of their hands, even though they would miss him like crazy.

He pressed a kiss to Shouyou’s forehead and the little boy grinned up at him, obviously sleepy. “Daddy?” his small voice asked as Suga started the car.

“Yeah buddy?”

“Do you think there’s going to be volleyball on TV tonight?” Suga smiled, pulling out of the parking lot.

“I don’t know, maybe. But later this week you can come to practice with Daddy and his friends and watch us play live, how’s that sound?”

“Yeah!”

 

~~~~~

“Can Kageyama come to the park with us this weekend?”

“Oh, uh. Well I suppose. Do you think you can have him ask his uncle tomorrow at school?” Suga looked over at his son, realizing he had no way to contact Tobio’s uncle. He supposed he could call the child’s grandparents and get his phone number that way, but he didn’t want to bother them with everything going on.

“Yep!” Shouyou went back to eating his dinner and Suga smiled, knowing the little boy would probably talk Asahi’s ear off about it in the morning. ‘ _Tobio-kun is gonna come to the park with Daddy and me if his uncle lets him so Daddy said I have to ask Tobio-kun’s uncle and make sure it’s okay so when he gets here--’_ and on and off all day. Suga would hear about it.

And sure enough, he got a glare from Asahi when he showed up that afternoon-- a playful one, but a glare nonetheless.

“How many times did he tell you about the park this time?” Suga spotted Shouyou and Tobio still seated in the play area, in the middle of a sea of zoo animals.

“About a million. He kind of fixates on things he’s excited about, doesn’t he?”

“He does, I worry about it sometimes.”

Asahi scoffed. “You worry about everything with him.”

“Wait until you and Noya have kids,” he teased, dissolving into laughter when Asahi’s heart visibly jumped into his throat.

“Excuse me?” A voice said from out of nowhere, causing both men to jump.

“Sawamura-san! I apologize, Suga-san and I were a bit caught up in our own world,” Asahi rushed out, smiling.

“No, it’s perfectly alright. I’m running late anyway, so I should apologize.”

“Tobio-chan is keeping my son out of his hair, he’s probably going to ask you to show up late more often.” Suga held out a hand. “Sugawara Koushi, you must be Tobio-chan’s uncle.”

“Sawamura Daichi, it’s nice to meet you. Mom and dad have told me a lot about you and your son.”

“Only good things, I hope,” he said with a sweet smile. “Shouyou has his heart set on bringing Tobio with us to the park this weekend, would that be alright?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Great! I can pick him up Saturday at 10? We were planning on going out for lunch, then going to the park for the afternoon. He’d be back around 2.”

“Sugawara-san, it might be nice for you two to get to know each other. If you’re interested in company, that is, and Sawamura-san isn’t busy,” Asahi spoke up, his voice lilting a bit too much for Suga not to notice, his tone uncharacteristically high-strung.

Suga momentarily fixed Asahi with an odd look, but nodded. “Yeah, that would be fine as well, if you’re up for it.”

“I’m up for it. Would you like to meet at a restaurant?”

Once again, Suga’s focus rested on Asahi a beat too long-- he looked entirely too excited for comfort. Reluctantly, Suga pulled his gaze away from the teacher. “Why don’t I pick you up? Parking is a nightmare downtown.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Okay, that sounds fun.” The two exchanged contact information and Sawamura called out to Tobio.

The second Sawamura and Tobio were out of the room, Suga spun on Asahi. “What are you up to?”

Asahi was a terrible liar. His voice got shaky, it went up an octave. He fiddled with his shirt or ran his fingers through his hair or shoved his hands into his pockets to keep them from shaking the deeper he got into the lie. It took all of five minutes for him to fold.  
“Fine! It’s just that… Okay, this is a bit of a long story.” Suga raised an eyebrow, scooping a sleepy Shouyou up from the floor.

“Saved by the tired child. Here's an idea, you get him home and put him down for his nap, and I'll clean up here and come over after and tell you everything.”

“Or you could just tell me now.”

Asahi grinned. “But then Shouyou will fall asleep in the car and then he won't go down for a nap at home and we all know he's a bit of a terror when he doesn't get his nap.”

Suga narrowed his eyes. “You're evil, Asahi-san. Truly evil.”

“Come on, I'll be at your place in like an hour.”

“You better.” Suga rubbed a hand across Shouyou’s back, picking up his son’s bookbag. “Using my own son against me, that's low,” he teased.

“I have to use all the defenses I have.”

“Or you could just not plot things against me, there's an idea.”

 

~~~~~

 

Suga kept Shouyou talking the whole car ride, about school and art class and PE, narrowly escaping catastrophe. On the off chance that Shouyou missed his nap, he was indeed a bit of a terror. As he got older, he learned to hold his temper and settle himself down a little better, but as a toddler he had been prone to terrible crying fits and grumpy spells on nap-less days. Shouyou was out like a light when Suga got him into his bed, leaving the single father alone with his thoughts.

In all the years he’d known Asahi, the man had never been one to meddle. He’d asked polite questions, given Suga so much support as a friend, a confidant, and occasionally an emergency babysitter-- and Suga had tried to return the same support. He poured himself a glass of wine as he tried to remember a time when Asahi had done more than merely ask if he was seeing anybody at the moment. No attempts to set up blind dates or insistence that Suga should really _put himself out there again_ , nothing! It crossed his mind that perhaps his friend simply thought he and Sawamura-san would get along in a strictly platonic sense, but Asahi had introduced him to other parents before with none of today’s messy fanfare. No, this was something different.

When he heard a car pull into his driveway, Suga made his way back to the corner cabinet. Asahi let himself in just as Suga was pouring a second glass. “Noya’s coming over in a while, is that alright?”

“That’s fine,” Suga said evenly, tilting his head.

“He’s bringing dinner. Pizza.” Asahi picked up the glass, shifting awkwardly.

“Shou-chan will be thrilled. Does that mean I have to wait until then for some kind of explanation?”

“No, uh. It’s just a long story. And none of it was my idea.”

Suga smiled at that. “Of course it wasn’t your idea. Was it Noya-san, then?”

“Well, no actually. He vehemently supports the uh… the plan, though.” The shorter man let out a deep sigh, setting his glass down on the island between them.

“Asahi-san, please just tell me what’s going on.”

“Goodness, okay. It’s just that, the Kageyama’s want you to marry Sawamura-san.” And God help him, if Shouyou hadn’t been asleep upstairs, Asahi knew that he would be dead.

“They _what?!_ ” Suga hissed.

Asahi’s hands fluttered as if to try and smooth Suga’s temper down with them. “No, not right now or right away or anything like that. They’re just very good friends of Noya’s parents and we met them for dinner once, and they got to talking about how they wished Sawamura-san had someone in his life to help out with Tobio, and Noya said that we feel the same way about you with Shouyou and…”

“So you’ve decided to play cupid then?”

“Absolutely not!” Asahi insisted, making a face halfway between a glare and a pout. “I didn’t want anything to do with it when they all started plotting but Noya-san got really excited about it so…”

“He threatened to withhold sex, didn’t he?” Suga didn’t even have to wait for an answer. “You could have at least told me. It’s not that hard. _Hey Suga-san, there’s a cute guy we want to set you up with_ , would that have been so difficult?”

“Would you have said yes?”

“No! Because, as you both know very well, I’m not looking for a relationship right now, or anytime soon for that matter. I have plenty to keep me busy without complicating my life with men. I have Shouyou to think about, and you know how easily he gets attached to people. Dating for me goes directly from ‘ _is he a good kisser’_ to ‘ _do I introduce Shou-chan to this guy or is he going to get bored in a month and leave my son devastated_ ’ the moment Shouyou meets him.”

“Sawamura-san isn’t like that, though.”

“Yes, I’m sure he’s wonderful, but my point is this… whatever it is, this plot of yours takes away my ability to make that choice for myself and my son.”

In all truth, Asahi looked thoroughly scolded. The giant man had the softest heart of anyone Suga had ever met, and the dejected look in his eyes made Suga’s own heart melt.

“Come here,” he murmured, pulling Asahi into a hug. “I promise you didn't fuck up my son and ruin my life. It’s probably not that big of a deal anyway, I just don't want you going behind my back like this.” Asahi sighed heavily against him.

“I just… Koushi, you know I don’t do things like this but...  Noya’s the one. I think I want to spend the rest of my life with him and… God, it just feels so weird and so amazing and I guess I wanted you to have that too. I didn't put up quite as much of a fight as I could have when they were… plotting.”

“Your heart is in the right place, as always. I'm happy for you, you and Nishinoya-san make a great pair.” Suga paused, watching as his words made Asahi look away, smiling at his hands as if they held the most precious thing in the world-- as if he was thinking about holding the love of his life in them. Suga felt a pang of jealousy, just a drop of envy amidst all the happiness he felt for his two friends. “And… I want that too, eventually. Who doesn't? I just don't want to put Shouyou through everything that dating would entail.”

“Sawamura-san is a good guy, I do really think you'll like him. To be honest, I think he would have a lot of the same reservations about dating as you do, even just having taken custody of Tobio. I think your hearts are... in similar places. And I think your heads are as well. I really think you two would be good for each other, I really do.” There was an edge to Asahi’s voice, almost a desperation for Suga to believe him. Suga rested his chin in his palm, leaning over the counter to look Asahi up and down.

“How do you fit so much fluff under all those muscles? You're like a teddy bear.”

“I just love you a lot,” he replied with a smile, picking up his wine again.

“I love you too, both of you. And I want you both to be eternally happy together, which brings me to my next point: have you decided to propose?”

As Asahi hesitated with his answer, both men heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. “Ahh, saved by the fiancé then.”

Suga went off to open the door with a certain slightly flushed giant yelling at him not to say that word yet.

  
  
~~~~~  


“Pizza last night and hamburgers for lunch today--I'm pretty sure you're well on your way to becoming spoiled rotten,” Suga teased his son as he drove to the address Sawamura-san had texted him.

“No, daddy!! Not even if we go get ice cream after the park, I'll still be good I pwomise!” the toddler yelled, bouncing in his seat.

“Oh, so pizza, burgers, and ice cream now? Next think I know you'll be asking for a pony and a crown, my little prince.”

The little boy just giggled and Suga watched him shake his head vigorously in the rear view mirror.

Neither he nor Shouyou were dressed up in any sense of the word. He'd thought about that as he helped his son pick out clothes for the playdate and decided that if Sawamura-san was going to dress Tobio in anything fancier than typical playground wear, that was his prerogative. He could have fun washing stains and repairing tears in the fabric afterwards. It briefly crossed his mind that perhaps Kageyama wasn't a veritable Tasmanian devil, but mere proximity to Hinata Shouyou generally resulted in at least one mess.

So he dressed his son in a blue t-shirt (one that wasn't too ratty to be presentable, but certainly wasn't his best) and a pair of what parents seemed to have termed “play jeans”-- the jeans that were “nice jeans” until the child got into paint or ink or tore them on the neighbor's fence resulting in a brightly colored patch across the knee. If Suga chose a hoodie that he knew highlighted his slim waist and broad shoulders pretty well, then that was just a coincidence.

Worries aside, Tobio came running out of an apartment building dressed for play, similarly to Shouyou. Sawamura-san followed after him, scooping him up with one arm as Suga parked nearby. With a little effort, he wrestled Tobio into the seat next to Shouyou and slid into the passenger seat.

“Good morning,” Suga said with a smile, and Sawamura huffed.

“It’s certainly been a morning. When he gets excited about something, I swear to god--” he said quietly.

“They just don’t stop talking about it,” Suga finished, nodding. “Mine does the same thing. Drives Asahi-san crazy.”

“That man must have the patience of a saint.”

“Daichi-oji, Shou-chan says we’re getting ice cream can we?”

“Ahh, that’s my fault. I’m bad at saying no, Sawamura-san. My treat.”

“Oh uh, most people call me Daichi,” he said, clicking his seat belt into place. “If you want to, I mean.”

“Daichi-san then,” Suga said with a smile. “Most people call me Suga.”

“Suga-san, then. Ice cream is fine with me.”

“Not being able to say not to him is gonna get me in trouble at some point but…” Daichi laughed, nodding

“I know exactly how you feel.”

Suga let out a sigh, a bit of the tension in his body dissipating as they spoke. Daichi seemed sweet, a bit reserved and formal still as expected for their first-- well. That was still on Suga’s mind. Did he think it was a date? Had his parents mentioned that Suga was “a young, handsome man who simply has no reason not to be dating,” as Nishinoya had put it days before. He pushed that out of his mind for now, since the other had made no obvious attempts to suggest that it was anything other than a playdate for their kids. No, all in all it was going very well, and Suga decided he was going to focus his attention on that instead of overthinking everything. He’d let the day go smoothly and seamlessly-- as smoothly and seamlessly any day could go with two five year olds-- for Shouyou’s sake.


	2. Kid, You'll Move Mountains

 

_Out on the ocean sailing away,_   
_I can hardly wait,_   
_To see you to come of age_

_Life is just what happens to you,_   
_While you're busy making other plans_

-John Lennon, Beautiful Boy

~~~~~

The day went smoothly, indeed. Smooth like ketchup dripping out of the bottom of hamburgers and off the ends of french fries, smooth like water being splashed from a fountain, smooth like ice cream dripping down a cone and onto the tiny hands of a set of five year olds. Messy, but smooth. Shouyou and Tobio played well together, as always. Everything was a race, everything a competition, but each time they’d stop back to where Daichi and Suga had seated themselves they had something new to compliment the other on. “ _ Shouyou showed me how to swing on the monkey bars.” “Tobio showed me how to go down the swirly slide extra fast! Like woosh!”  _ They fed off each others compliments and their competitions, pushing the other to run faster, climb quicker, laugh louder. 

“I wish I still had a tenth of that energy,” Suga joked after they sped off once again. 

“I know, it’s almost like it’s boundless.” 

“How is everything going, if you don’t mind me asking? Becoming the guardian of a five year old, it’s a lot.” 

Daichi nodded, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “It’s definitely a lot. I’m used to taking him for a weekend here and there. Mom and dad, they just couldn’t keep up with what he needed.”

“I can’t imagine. How are they doing?” 

“Well, causing trouble around their retirement home.” Suga laughed.

“That sounds like them. They’re certainly a mischievous pair.”

“Unfortunately, they passed that on to Tobio as well. He’s so smart, sometimes I feel like I can barely keep up with him. Living with them made him very perceptive, I think. He had to recognize when they were getting tired, or when playing with him was becoming too much.”

“He was always perceptive, that’s why he’s so good with Shouyou I think. He’s good at recognizing when Shouyou is upset.” Suga worried about his son, who took things so personally sometimes. It reassured him when Asahi told him Tobio had taken to asking people to leave their play area if he deemed that they had been mean to Shouyou. Asahi also mentioned that, with Tobio around, Shouyou always seemed more confident. 

“I feel bad when I have a rough day at work because I know he can tell. He’ll behave better and do thing like suggest we watch my favorite Disney movie. It’s crazy.”

“You should be proud, you’ve got a good one.”

“I am, thank you.” 

Suga reached over, patting Daichi’s shoulder. “And I know you said things are going well but… it does get easier as time goes on. Things aren’t going to be perfect, but the first time something happens and you  _ really _ feel like a parent-- there’s nothing like it.”

“Thank you.” Daichi paused and Suga let his hand drop back between them. “I really do consider him my son, now. He’s my sister’s-- have my parents told you the whole story?”

Suga shook his head, glancing over to keep watch on the kids as Daichi spoke. 

“She wasn’t around long after she had Tobio. She spent most of the pregnancy in rehab, that’s the only way she was able to stay clean. None of us know how she got hooked in the beginning. She started using some time after college. At first, it was absolute hell for her. She went through withdrawal, had nightmares so bad that some nights she wouldn’t sleep at all. She would get sick. She was getting treatment for anxiety and depression.”

Suga reached over and took Daichi’s hand, squeezing it. “You don’t have to tell me everything. It’s okay.”

“No, I want to. Everybody has this image of Kanna, like she was a bad person, this horrible thing that happened to our family. But she was my baby sister and I loved her, and I want people to know that.”

Suga simply nodded, waiting for Daichi to continue.

“It’s… She did that all for Tobio, because she loved him. She stayed in treatment for him, stayed clean until he was born. It absolutely wrecked her. She immediately signed custody over to mom and dad after Tobio was born, in case she relapsed. We lost touch with her about a month after he was born.” 

“She sounds like an amazing person.” Daichi nodded, eyes glued to Tobio and Shouyou in the sand box. 

“She was. I thought you deserved to know.  I just-- you know my family, my whole family, and I wanted you to know about her too. I asked her to give me custody of him, but it was back when I was still in school. She always joked, ‘who would date you if you had a kid.’”

“Ahh, well she was right. Shouyou’s mother left as soon as he was eating solid foods. She wasn’t ready to be a mother, not that I was ready to be a father, but it was different for her. I was happy that she stayed as long as she did, and even happier when she said she wouldn’t try to come in and out of his life as she pleased. She asked that I keep his surname the same as hers and tell him that if he ever wanted to find her, she would love to meet him. But she wanted knew that she wouldn’t be able to be stable in his life, so she chose to remove herself from it and I have a lot of respect for her for that.”

“How old were you?”

“22, in my final year of university when he was born. My roommates adored him. There was a girl from my old high school, too, who was a freshman when I was a senior. She babysat for me when I had exams and I tutored her in some of the introductory classes that I had taken.”

“So you did manage to catch a girl’s attention then? Even with a kid,” Daichi teased lightly. 

“Ahh, no. Yachi-san… I’m not her type, you might say. I really haven’t dated much. I’m very picky about the people I introduce Shouyou to, since he gets attached so easily. And, to be honest, most men and many women are quite skittish around the idea of being introduced to my son anyway.”

“When the right one comes around, you’ll know I suppose.”

“I do certainly hope so.”

 

~~~~~

 

“Yes, Kageyama-san, it went well. Yes, Daichi-san is very sweet.” Suga glared at Asahi across the kitchen but the taller man refused to look at him. “Very charming. Yes, he’s attractive as well. Charismatic, yes. Kageyama-san, I’m not looking for a ‘nice boy like Daichi’ right now. I’m focused on my son.”

Asahi finally made eye contact, mouthing ‘I’m sorry.’ He had taken a call from Emiko Kageyama about her volunteering with Asahi’s class, asking if he could call her another time because-- and then he said the magic words-- ‘Suga-san is here.’ She insisted that she talk to Suga immediately. 

“No, I’m not missing out on anything. I’m perfectly content with my life. I am happy. Kageyama-san, nothing could make me happier than my son, certainly not a man.” Suga knew that he should just give in, but he didn’t want to give Tobio’s grandmother a reason to continue hounding him. Ideally, he would shut down that conversation now and that would be the end of things. 

“Well if Sawamura-san is interested in me, then I’m sure he will make that clear. Thus far he has given me no indication of that. I really appreciate your concern, I really do, but it is unnecessary. Oh, look, Asahi needs to speak to you. Take care, and please give my regards to your husband.” Suga flinched as the woman obviously protested. “Bye now!” 

Asahi was able to get off the phone, promising that he would try and convince Suga to settle down which received him another nasty glare. Wordlessly, he pulled out a bottle of wine from the fridge, gesturing for Suga to get glasses. 

“Noya should be home soon, are you sticking around tonight?” 

Suga nodded. “If that’s okay. Shouyou is at Daichi-san’s for a sleepover.”

Asahi quirked an eyebrow. “Wow, big step. First sleepover?”

“I’m surprised you haven’t heard about it non-stop for the last 3 days.” Shouyou hadn’t stopped talking about what they would do, sorting through his toys over and over deciding what he wanted to bring, sorting through his clothes in the same fashion. He’d spent an hour making a messy chart of the patterned pajamas he owned, and then took his father through picture by picture, eliminating them until he decided on the perfect pair. “Tobio-chan likes bears best,” the toddler concluded.

“The house is certainly quiet.”

“You know, it’s good for you to have a life as well. One that doesn’t involve the Frozen soundtrack and fruit snacks and washable markers.” Suga hummed, picking up his now full glass. 

“Everybody keeps telling me that, as if I’m going to resent my son one day for ruining my youth or something. I don’t mind getting a babysitter to spend nights out, or sending him off to sleepovers and hanging out here. I don’t mind asking people to watch him some afternoons when I have late meetings. I don’t mind spending time away from my son, but if I don’t have to I don’t see why everybody seems to want me to.”

“It’s not that, it’s just… I don’t know, Noya and I don’t have kids, I guess we just wonder if you miss it.” Suga thought about that for a moment. 

“Yes, in a way. I miss when we used to go out to bars and get hit on all the time, how you’d get so flustered. I miss staying home and playing drinking games until I couldn't see straight. I don’t miss throwing up in your bathtub. I miss being able to say ‘no, I don’t have any plans next weekend, let’s go hiking or go on a road trip or just stay home and watch bad TV all day.’ Now I have to think about Shouyou and whether we’d have a place to stay, because my son would not sleep in the back of a car like we used to, and if where we’re going has good food, because I don’t want him eating nothing but Snickers bars like we used to. But I wouldn’t give him up, not for a second.” 

“I wouldn’t expect you to, but it doesn’t really have to be one way or the other,” Asahi argued. “And it doesn’t have to be just for you, either. Another good role model for Shouyou would be healthy, and you can argue all you want but I know you Koushi. You’d like to be in a relationship, you’d like to fall in love. I think you could, easily, if you gave yourself the time and the opportunity.”

Suga laughed. “What would you have me do, download Tinder? I’m 27 with a kid, what how do I make that sound appealing.”

“You’re an extremely good looking 27 year old man. You work out, you play volleyball twice a week on top of that, you’ve got an amazing body. You have a wonderful son, an amazing career-- do you see where I’m going here?” Suga shifted uncomfortably. “You just need a little confidence in the fact that you might meet someone who’s good for you, who makes you happy.”

“I don’t know, Asahi.”

The taller man backed off, nodding. “Just think about it. We just want you to be happy, and I know you’re already happy but you know what I mean.”

“I do, yeah. Thank you, you know I love you and Noya, right?”

“We love you as well. You’re family.”

 

~~~~~

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

_ 7:18 pm   _

How are you holding up?

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

Spaghetti on the walls, my white carpet is ruined, and I’m eyeing a very large bottle of liquor.

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

Kidding. Everything is going great, they’re watching The Land Before Time. 

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

Don’t scare me like that!! Let me know if you need anything. 

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

I’m sure we’ll be fine, but thank you. 

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

Sorry, I know I’m being overbearing. Helicopter parenting is kinda my thing. 

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

You’re fine, don’t worry. I’d be nervous too, if the roles were reversed. 

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

Sure, yeah. They say it gets easier after the first sleepover, and then it’s less about worrying that they're alright and more about enjoying the free time

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

Ah, I’m not sure about that. I tend to be a worrier

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

Oh good, me too. Now I feel like less of an idiot, thank you

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

He’s your only son, you’re putting him in the hands of a man who became a full time parent about 2 months ago. I totally understand 

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

No, no it’s not you! I trust you! It’s just everything. What if he misbehaves, what if he gets hurt, what if he misses home, all that stuff. 

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

Ahh, I see. Would you like me to text you updates? Right now, he seems perfectly fine. He did tell me your mac and cheese was better than mine.

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

No, that’s alright, I’ll just have to suspend my hovering for a few hours. It’ll be healthy. I’ll have to scold him for that comment, that was very rude. 

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

No need. You’ve got a good kid, Suga-san. He punctuated it with “Well, not better. Just different.”

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

That’s acceptable I suppose, but thank you. You’ve got a good nephew as well

_ From: Daichi To: Suga _

I appreciate that. Enjoy your night off as much as you can

_ From: Suga To: Daichi _

Thank you, Daichi-san. Next time, I’ll be happy to give you a night off!

 

~~~~~

 

Suga showed up promptly at 9:55 to pick up his son, parking his car and heading into the apartment building. He may have climbed the stairs a little too fast, probably knocked on the door of apartment 325 a little too forcefully, but he’d missed his son. The door was flung open by a slightly shaggy looking Daichi, the two troublemakers nowhere to be found, but Suga swore heard the familiar notes of Disney’s Frozen coming from inside. 

“Suga-san, the kids are finishing up a movie. Can I get you a cup of coffee?” Suga agreed, stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him. He toed off his shoes, peeking in to see both boys singing along quietly. 

“I promised they could watch it this morning if they went to bed last night. It’s almost over.” Daichi promised, pulling Suga’s attention back to him. 

“Not a problem!” He took in Daichi’s messy hair, his shaggy sweatpants paired with an old t shirt. He looked exhausted, and Suga couldn’t tell if that was a sleepover thing or a Daichi-every-morning thing. Oddly enough, he found himself curious. 

“Volleyball?” Suga was jerked out of his thoughts, glancing down at the sweater he was wearing.

“Oh, yeah. This is from college, I played for the first couple years, and before that in high school.” 

“Me too, I was the captain of my team! Went to Nationals as a third year.” Daichi smiled, a mixture of pride and nostalgia. 

“Impressive! Do you still play then?” Daichi shook his head. 

“No, not with work and now Tobio. Got to busy, never took the time to find a recreational league around here.” 

“I play with one, you’re welcome to come.” Daichi perked up. “We always like new players, it adds new dynamics to the game. We’ve all been playing together for so long.”

“Yeah, I’ll definitely take you up on that!”

“Tobio can come and keep Shouyou busy, he’ll enjoy that. Usually he just colors in the stands while we play.” 

“That sounds great, thank you.” Daichi took a sip of his coffee and Suga did the same, letting the conversation comfortably lapse for a while. 

“Okay, I don’t… really know how to say this.” Suga looked up when Daichi spoke, taking in the flustered look on his face. “I, uh, need to apologize. For my mother.” 

Suga broke into a smile, shaking his head. “You really don’t. She talked to you?”

“Asahi did, actually, but when I asked her about it I got her side of the story, yeah.” 

“It’s really alright, Asahi and Noya are just as much to blame.”

“No really, she just kept going on about all the things you allegedly said about me and I can’t imagine how that conversation actually went.” Daichi sighed, scrunching up his nose . “I love her to death but she goes too far sometimes.”

Cocking his head to the side, Suga hummed. “What did I allegedly say about you?” He didn’t miss the pink that creeped into the tips of Daichi’s ears. 

“A lot of things, she’s a creative woman.” Suga waited for him to elaborate. “Um, well that I’m good looking and charming and… I don’t know, there was more.”

“Sweet, charismatic. I believe she called you intelligent, so I can’t claim that one.” Daichi looked just stared at him, confused. “She was very curious as to what I thought of you as a person, I answered honestly. She’s convinced that we are perfect for each other. She’s even got Asahi setting us up on ‘dates,’” Suga said, air quotes and all. “I told her I thought you were perfectly capable of indicating whether or not you were interested in me on your own.”

“She can be…” 

“It’s sweet, really. Your parents have often been like parents to me, I consider them very close friends.” 

Daichi smiled, “I agree, her heart is in the right place. But she doesn’t need to make you uncomfortable as such.” 

At that moment, two sets of footsteps came pounding into the kitchen and Shouyou latched onto his father’s leg. 

“Daddy! Daddy we watched Frozen and played dinosaurs and ate mac and cheese and read a book and watched a dinosaur movie!”

“That’s great, squirt!” Suga put down his coffee and scooped up his son, ruffling Tobio’s hair next to him. “How about you go get your stuff together and we can get out of Daichi-san’s hair?”

Shouyou squirmed down and ran off in the direction of what Suga guessed was Tobio’s bedroom. 

“Tobio, can you go help him make sure he gets everything?” Daichi asked, and the other child ran off as well.

“Anyway, don’t worry about your mother. It... seems  _ I  _ wasn’t the one she made uncomfortable. Besides, I told her that you’re a grown man, you can make your own decisions. Sometimes it helps hearing it from an outsider, ya know?” Suga shrugged, smiling and moving back towards the door to slip his shoes on. 

“Right, yeah.”

“Thank you for everything, and I’m serious about joining us for volleyball. You’re welcome anytime.”

“Thank you, I would love to come.” 

The two boys came racing back into the room, crashing into their respective guardians. 

“I win!”

“No, I do!” 

Suga set Shouyou onto his hip, kissing his cheek. “I think I win, ‘casue I get to take you home with me.”

“Daddy,” Shouyou giggled.

“What do you say to Daichi-san and Tobio-chan?” 

“Thank you for having me,” the toddler yelled with a grin.

“Anytime,” Daichi responded. 

Suga opened the door, repeating Shouyou’s thanks and waving one more time before heading out of the building. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah! But… Daddy?”

“What’s up, squirt?” 

“I missed you,” the redhead said with a grin, making Suga’s heart burst at the seams.

“I missed you too, kid.” He kissed his son, tucking him into the carseat. Yeah, everything he may have given up by becoming a parent so young, it had all been worth it ten times over. 


	3. Like Fathers, Like Sons

__ My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to.   
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,  
You never need to carry more than you can hold. 

_ ~ _ Rascal Flatts, My Wish

 

“Okay, you two behave please,” Suga said, kissing Shouyou’s cheek and ruffling Tobio’s hair. 

“Okay, daddy.” Neither child looked up from their coloring pages, making Suga smile. 

“Oh, Refreshing-kun? Are you going to spend all day playing with the kiddies or can we get started over here?” 

“Patience, Oikawa-san.”

“Isn’t it funny when Suga-san talks to Oikawa-san in the same voice he uses with his five year old?” The men laughed, Oikawa included. 

“What can I say, when you’re as cute as Shou-chan and I…” he teased, winking towards Suga. 

“Your arrogance is remarkable,” Iwaizumi commented, tossing his boyfriend the ball. 

Suga glanced over at Daichi as the pair began to bicker, glad to see no discernible trace of discomfort. He fit in well with the rest of Suga and Asahi’s friends, not surprisingly. When Suga had first mentioned inviting him to their pick up matches, Asahi and Noya both agreed it was a great idea. 

“You know how Asahi gets when he works too much without playing, or at least going to the gym,” Noya pointed out. “Kids can be stressful, I’m sure Daichi-san is feeling it by now.”

“I agree. I’m just a little worried.” He gave Noya a pointed look. “He brought up his mother hounding him about dating me. I don’t want the two of you bringing it up, not at all. He was… extremely uncomfortable.”

“Come on, the thought of dating you couldn’t have been that bad,” Noya teased, earning himself a glare. 

“That’s not my point. I don’t know what his deal was. Maybe he’s already seeing someone behind his mother’s back, maybe he’s just not interested in dating, but frankly I don’t care. I don’t enjoy making people uncomfortable and I won’t stand by while you do so again. I’m asking you this as a favor.”

The two exchanged a glance before nodding slowly.

“What if--” Asahi began, only to be cut off. 

“No, no buts. No what if.”

“Hear me out! What if he was nervous because he likes you, and he was uncomfortable because of that.” 

“This isn’t one of your dramas, Asahi,” Suga sighed. 

“It’s not that far of a stretch!” Noya argued. 

Asahi interrupted Suga before he could argue back. “I agree.” 

“It doesn’t matter! He’s a grown man. If he was interested, he’d come onto me. He’d act interested.” 

Both men looked at him skeptically. “Not everybody is as forward as you. And… you can be intimidating, Suga.” Suga made a noise of disbelief, rolling his eyes. “I’m serious! You’re gorgeous, successful, you’ve got an amazing son who you love more than anything. You approach life like you need nothing and nobody else. That’s intimidating!”

Noya nodded. “Frankly, you’re the perfect man.” Asahi whined and Noya added a bit begrudgingly, “Perfect man for Daichi.”

Still, he was having none of it. Suga told them once again to refrain from meddling, then excused himself to go pick up Shouyou from his friend Kenma’s house. 

 

As they started the game, Suga shook the thoughts out of his head. He was on the court opposite Oikawa, who didn’t seem to have lost much of his skill after college, so he needed to be focused. In all fairness, their team had Asahi and Noya. The pair was arguably enough to balance out Oikawa’s talent. They set up for the first game, passing the ball off to Iwaizumi to serve, and Suga spared a quick glance at the kids to make sure they were still behaving. He’d never had trouble before, even with as wild as Shouyou could be. The little boy knew his father loved these games, so Suga found him and Tobio still sitting quietly on the bleachers as expected.

What he didn’t expect was for Daichi to be so _ good.  _ He received Iwaizumi’s first serve (no doubt Iwaizumi’s design, he hadn’t lost much skill since college either), passing it just a step from where Suga had been positioned. Suga set it up for Asahi, who promptly blasted through Tsukishima's block, earning shouts from Noya and Tanaka.

“Sorry, I’m a bit rusty. It was a bit off,” Daichi apologized as they reset, addressing his comment to Suga directly. 

“Are you kidding? Keep that up and you’ll give Noya-san a run for his money,” Tanaka scoffed. 

“Seriously, just keep that up,” Suga said with a grin.

“Don’t get too confident yet, Refreshing-kun and friends! Iwa-chan was just going easy on the newbie.”

“Damn, I hope not,” Daichi mumbled low enough for only his team to hear. 

 

By the end of the first match, it was pretty clear that the two teams were evenly matched. Every single player was sweating, battling for points, and quite frankly relying on mistakes on the other side. With the combination of Daichi and Noya in the back row, the other side had to rely on tricky setter dumps and hitting off the block just to score. Suga’s team edged out a win, but only by two hard fought points. 

They switched up teams, swapping Iwaizumi with Asahi. When Oikawa complained that splitting Noya and Asahi up would be unfair, as if it were the second coming of Romeo and Juliet, Noya traded places with Shinji as well. It went much the same as the first game, and even though Shinji wasn’t quite as good as he had once been, he and Daichi kept up a clean defense. The second set ended with a dump from a very smug Oikawa, and they were happy to call the games at a tie. 

“Dai-chan, where has Suga-san been hiding you?” Oikawa called as they all collapsed onto the bleachers. 

“Don’t blame me! Asahi-san has known him far longer than I have,” Suga argued. 

“It’s good to play again. I’ve certainly missed it,” Daichi interrupted. 

The two restless five year olds dragged Noya back onto the court to practice on their own. Shouyou often asked his father to teach him how to pass and set correctly, but the five year old loved nothing more than spiking the ball as hard as he could against the wall. Kageyama, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be very familiar with the sport. Draining his water bottle and leaning against Asahi, Suga watched as Kageyama tried to match Noya’s form. 

“I can’t believe he has the energy for that,” Suga commented. 

“He’s resilient, and you know he can’t say no to your son let alone both Shouyou and Kageyama.” Suga watched Daichi smile at that. 

“Thank you, all of you guys, for having us.”

“Anytime, Dai-chan! Open invitation, and feel free to bring your friends-- or, daresay, a girlfriend maybe? Show off for her,” Oikawa responded, winking. 

Daichi’s eyebrows raised. “Uh, no girlfriend to bring.” 

“Boyfriend, then?” Daichi laughed, fiddling with his water bottle. 

“Closer, but no. No boyfriend either.”

“Knock it off, Tooru, or  _ your _ boyfriend will get suspicious that you’re trying to replace him,” Suga interjected.

“Iwa-chan knows I look but never touch.” That earned him a light slap to the back of his  

head. “Rude!”

“It’s okay. Um, how long have you two been dating?”

“Too long,” Iwaizumi grumbled, hiding a small smile.

“Since college, but we were practically dating in high school anyway,” Oikawa said, ignoring Iwaizumi’s comment. 

“That’s sweet, like Noya-san and Asahi-san,” Daichi said and Asahi nodded.

And then Suga’s lap is suddenly full with an excited, redheaded toddler. “Daddy! Noya-san said Tobio and me are really good!” 

“You are, I saw you two playing. You’re getting better every time you play.” Shouyou giggled, climbing into Asahi’s lap and rambling about how he was going to get really tall and spike the ball like Asahi did in games. 

A shy hand tapped Suga on the elbow and he turned to find Tobio standing shyly next to him. “Noya-san told me maybe you could teach me how to throw the ball like you do.”

“Of course, buddy--” Oikawa cut him off, scooping Tobio up from behind and swinging the little boy into his arms.

“If you really want to learn how to toss, I’m--” Tobio was the one to interrupt this time, bursting into tears and reaching out for Suga. Oikawa was quick to hand him off, hiding behind Iwaizumi, who couldn’t seem to stop laughing. 

“Awww, did that big mean man scare you?” Suga teased as Daichi stood up next to him. He waved the dark haired man off, rubbing Tobio’s back as the toddler calmed down. “See? Even Tobio knows who the better setter is.”

“Like hell,” Oikawa muttered bitterly. 

“I can take him,” Daichi said, but Suga waved him off again. 

“It’s okay, Asahi stole mine so I’m stealing yours,” he teased, winking at Daichi as he kissed Tobio’s cheek and set him on his feet. 

He helped the boy move his fingers in the right position and practice holding the ball before throwing it up. He demonstrated a couple times, tossing it repeatedly to himself as he sat cross legged on the floor, before taking a couple steps back and gently tossing one to Tobio. 

Tobio put his hands up and slapped at the ball, sending it hurtling back towards Suga. The setter praised him, giving a few pointers, before tossing it again. They repeated this several times until Tobio successfully set the ball in a short arc in front of him, pushing it with only his fingertips. Suga cheered, giving him a high five and promising they’d continue to practice later.

“Suga-san, it’s your turn to lock up.” Suga nodded, pulling the key out of his gym bag. “Don’t forget to return the key to Ukai-san.” 

“I won’t! Shouyou, buddy, are you ready to go?” The toddler nodded and climbed from Asahi’s lap. He moved to pack up Shouyou’s stuff as everybody else filed out. He slung his bag over his shoulder, handing Shouyou his little backpack, and turned to see Daichi hovering at the end of the bleachers with Tobio in his arms. 

“Are you two ready to go?” Suga asked, reaching down to grab Shouyou’s hand.

“Yeah, I just wanted to say thank you again,” Daichi said with a smile, settling his bag on his shoulder. 

“Oh, well you’re welcome I guess. We were glad to have you, and like Oikawa said you’re welcome anytime.”

“And, um… Well, about what you said the other day.” 

Suga raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. “About what?”

“About me being able to indicate whether or not I was interested in you. Not that I’m too thrilled to have my mother trying to act as my wingman, per say, but I tend to be… not so good at being blunt. I’m not good at, uh, communicating  _ that _ to people I’ve just met.” 

Suga smiled, stepping forward. “Well, lucky for you certain people tell me I’m too blunt for my own good.”

Letting go of Shouyou’s hand, Suga placed it on Daichi’s arm instead and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Shouyou tugged softly on his father’s shorts, asking to be picked up, and Suga obliged. He settled his son against his chest, then turned his attention back to a slightly pink Daichi.

“What do you say we take our boys with us on a date one of these days? Get to know each other a little better?”

“That-- yeah, that sounds perfect.” Tobio’s blue eyes peeked out sleepily from against Daichi’s shoulder and Suga patted his back before giving him a little wave. 

“Let me know when you boys are free, then. And… maybe don’t tell your mother for a while,” Suga said, smiling sheepishly. “It’ll break her heart if you decide not to keep me around.”

“I don’t know, I have a feeling that won’t be a problem.” Daichi winked, turning to head out of the gym. “Let’s get together soon.”

“Yeah,” Suga replied, following him out. “We’d like that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end~

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr


End file.
